MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) – FBI agents, examining the case of a Russian national Vadim Mikerin arrested in the United States, should turn to Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom for help in the investigation, the chair of the Center for Anti-corruption Research and Initiative at Transparency International Russia Elena Panfilova told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
Vadim Mikerin, the head of the TENAM Corp, which is the US subsidiary of Russia's state-owned uranium producer and trader Techsnabexport, was arrested in the United States on allegations of participating in a kickback scheme in exchange for granting uranium supply contracts to US citizens.
"If the economic damage [to Techsnabexport] is meant here, I would advise [FBI agents] to turn to Rosatom [for help in the investigation]. I think Rosatom will take this situation very seriously," Panfilova said.
Mikerin is accused of receiving $1.7 million in bribes for granting three US citizens over $33 million in noncompetitive contracts with Techsnabexport. If found guilty, Mikerin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
JSC Techsnabexport, also known by its brand name of TENEX, exports enriched uranium product and uranium conversion to a number of key markets, including the United States, Mexico, China, South Africa, Japan and several European states.
Rosatom holds 100 percent of TENEX shares.
